AFR Business

The Trump administration’s recent actions toward Harvard University, represent a significant threat to academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic principles.

*1. Coercive Use of Federal Funding*

The administration has frozen over $2.2 billion in federal grants and contracts to Harvard, contingent upon the university’s compliance with demands that include eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, banning masks at protests, and cooperating fully with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security.

This tactic of leveraging federal funds to enforce ideological conformity undermines the independence of educational institutions and sets a dangerous precedent for governmental overreach into academic affairs.

*2. Suppression of Free Speech and Academic Inquiry*

By threatening to revoke visas of international students and faculty members who express certain political views, the administration is effectively stifling free speech and academic discourse.

Such actions not only violate First Amendment protections but also create an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship within academic communities.

*3. Undermining Institutional Autonomy*

The administration’s demands extend to influencing university governance by pressuring institutions to make organizational changes that align with federal directives.

This intrusion into internal decision-making processes erodes the foundational principle of institutional autonomy that allows universities to function as centers of independent thought and innovation.

*4. Legal and Ethical Concerns*

Harvard’s faculty, through the American Association of University Professors, has initiated legal action against the administration, arguing that the federal review of the university’s funding is politically motivated and lacks legal justification.

This lawsuit underscores the broader concern that the administration’s actions are not only ethically questionable but also potentially unlawful.

*5. Broader Implications for Higher Education*

The administration’s approach signals a shift toward using governmental power to enforce ideological conformity across higher education institutions.

This trend threatens the diversity of thought and critical inquiry that are essential to the academic mission and democratic society at large.

The Trump administration’s demands on Harvard University pose a significant danger to the core values of academic freedom, free speech, and institutional independence. It is imperative for educational institutions, policymakers, and the public to recognize and resist such overreach to preserve the integrity of higher education and democratic principles.

UBA Unveils Upgraded POS Terminal, Revamped MONI App to Accelerate Digital Payments, Empower Businesses Across Africa

New UBA POS, UBA MONI App Offer Instant Settlement, Real-Time Network Monitoring

Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, has unveiled its vastly improved Point of Sale (POS) Terminal as well as the UBA MONI App to redefine the digital payment landscape and empower Small and Medium scale Enterprises across Africa.

The upgraded platforms form part of the bank’s ongoing campaign with the theme: Innovation for Progress: Empowering SMEs, Connecting Communities, Simplifying Banking.

The newly improved POS, which provides customers efficiency and ease in transacting their businesses, boasts exciting features designed to boost efficiency, transparency and trust for merchants; including instant settlement, real-time monitoring, pay-by-link functionality, and a 100% transaction success rate.

With the new service, customers can enjoy flexibility, as the terminals have been equipped to serve businesses of all sizes, providing the speed, reliability and fast-paced services demanded by today’s merchants.

The UBA MONI App which is designed to further strengthen UBA’s agency banking network has also been modified with new features including instant settlement, pay-by-transfer options, secret question security, an enhanced inbox, and a redesigned homepage—offering agents and customers an even more intuitive and secure experience. This is in addition to its core features of instant account opening with BVN/NIN, real-time transfers, cash deposits and withdrawals, airtime/data payments with agent discounts, and instant POS deployment remains at the heart of the app.

Speaking on the modified features of both platforms, UBA’s Group Head, Retail and Digital Banking, Shamsideen Fashola, said, that as a forward-thinking financial institution, UBA is always on the look-out for modern ways to improve their services and offerings, to give customers top-notch experiences while conducting their daily businesses.

He said, “At UBA, we are constantly innovating to provide seamless and secure payment solutions for businesses of all sizes. The new UBA POS and MONI App is designed to empower merchants and agency banking with instant settlements, real-time transaction tracking, and unmatched reliability – ensuring they can focus on growing their businesses with a trusted partner.”

Continuing, he said “This next-generation POS is not just a payment device; it’s a powerful tool that helps businesses stay competitive in a fast-paced economy. With UBA’s extensive reach and robust infrastructure, we are bringing convenience and confidence to every transaction. With the upgraded MONI App, we are equally equipping our agents, many of whom serve smaller communities, with faster tools, greater transparency, and an enhanced user experience that will help them grow their businesses while serving millions of underserved customers.”

Fashola explained that the bank’s continued investment in digital infrastructure aligns with its broader commitment to supporting African businesses through technology-driven banking solutions that deliver value, scalability, and trust.

UBA’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication, Alero Ladipo, emphasised the bank’s unwavering commitment to delivering innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of its customers.

“We understand that speed, transparency, and reliability are critical for business growth, and that’s exactly what the new UBA POS and Moni App deliver. At UBA, we are not just providing a payment device, we are offering a promise of efficiency, trust, and support to the thousands of businesses that rely on us daily. This solution is a testament to our dedication to helping our customers thrive in today’s digital economy,” she noted.

Ladipo called on merchants, agent banking partners and business owners to experience the myriad of offerings available by visiting any UBA branch nationwide or through the bank’s website.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology.

United Bank for Africa is licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

A Lagos man has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for refusing to accept the Naira as mode of payment for purchase of a Cartier diamond bracelet worth $5700.

Mr Chimaobi Precious Uzondu who owns Unlimited Jewellers Limited was convicted and sentenced by Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, April 15, 2025,

He was arraigned by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, on February 5, 2025 on a two-count charge bordering on refusal to accept the Naira as a legal tender.

One of the counts reads: “That you, Precious Chimaobi Uzondu, on the 10th of December 2024, in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, refused to accept Naira (Nigeria legal tender) by accepting the sum of $5700 ( Five Thousand Seven Hundred USD) as a means of payment for a purchase of a cartier diamond bracelet with serial number (12345678) and you, thereby , committed an offence contrary to Section 20 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.” Home decor

He initially pleaded not guilty to the charge, leading to his full trial.

The prosecution presented its first witness, PW1, Owolabi Oyarekhua Jude, an operative of the EFCC.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, H.U. Kofarnaisa, Jude told the court that “the Commission received intelligence on the activities of a jewelry company called Unlimited Jewellers Limited, “whose owner is one Uzondu Precious Chimaobi.

“The Company, which deals in jewelry at Atlantic Mall, Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos intentionally tags and sells its products in Dollars as against the CBN Act, 2007 ,which stipulates Naira as the only legal tender in Nigeria.” Home decor

Continuing, he added that “ Subsequently, a covert operation was carried out , where an undercover operative of the Commission disguised as a customer to purchase a Diamond Nail bracelet that was tagged $6000 and bought it for $5700.

“The company refused to receive Naira and demanded Dollars as a means of payment. The payment was made and receipt was issued in Dollars . The owner of the company was arrested and taken to the Commission’s office.”

However, at the resumed sitting on April 14, 2025, the defendant opted to change his “not guilty” plea to “guilty.

Consequent upon his guilty plea, Kofarnaisa, prayed the court to rely on the evidence earlier given by the investigating officer, and admit the same in convicting the defendant.

Kofarnaisa, thereafter, tendered the defendant’s statement and other evidence to further prove his guilt and they were admitted by the court.

Justice Owoeye then adjourned till Tuesday, April 15, 2025 for ruling.

Delivering judgment, they found the defendant guilty and gave him an option of fine of N50,000( Fifty Thousand Naira) on count one.

The Judge sentenced him to four years imprisonment, with an option of fine in the sum of N600,000 on count two.

His Cartier Diamond wristwatch was ordered forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria.

AP, Reuters

Kylian Mbappé’s legal team are going on the attack with multiple lawsuits to try to resolve the legal dispute between the World Cup winner andhis former club Paris Saint-Germain.

The France striker argues PSG owe him €55m (£47.5m) in unpaid wages and bonuses, and his lawyers say they have asked the Paris court to start proceedings. Thomas Clay, one of the forward’s legal experts, said Mbappé had been authorised to make a precautionary seizure of the money, which was frozen from PSG’s bank accounts on Thursday. A legal hearing is scheduled for 26 May, he said.

“This story has been going on for just over a year now,” Mbappé’s main lawyer, Delphine Verheyden, said. “One year was the deadline we set for ourselves for trying to resolve this dispute as peacefully as possible. As the months went by, Kylian Mbappé still hasn’t been paid the missing €55m. A decision has been taken, this time to go on the attack.” Verheyden said they were also asking the French sports minister to intervene and to challenge legally a decision by the appeals commission of the French football federation, which ruled that Mbappé’s appeal against PSG was inadmissible because of a continuing procedure in a civil court.

Separately, she said Mbappé had asked the federation to inform Uefa that PSG failed to pay him what he was owed, in breach of the club’s salary obligations.

Verheyden suggested that if PSG were found responsible the club could lose the licence allowing them to play in the Champions League.

A Uefa spokesperson told Reuters: “The case is only indirectly linked with us in terms of possible arrears of payment. If a final decision is taken by the French authorities and confirms that there are indeed arrears … the club would then have to pay the arrears on time or risk noncompliance with financial fair play.”

Last October, the French league (LFP) appeals commission upheld the decision ordering PSG to pay Mbappé the unpaid wages he wants. Mbappé claims the club owes him three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.

He joined Real Madrid from PSG last summer on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years. PSG argued that when Mbappé was sidelined before the 2023-24 season – after his decision not to extend his contract – there was a verbal agreement with him opting to relinquish bonuses in order to return to the team. “They have not shown any evidence of any agreement,” Verheyden said.

PSG were not immediately available for comment but said in October they would be “forced to bring the case before the competent courts” and were still trying to find an “amicable solution” with Mbappé. PSG have also said Mbappé refused an offer from the LFP to mediate on the issue.

Mbappé’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions and some fans booed him in his last home game at the Parc des Princes. PSG felt let down by Mbappé after offering him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new deal in 2022. But Mbappé was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept. When he signed that deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappé was reportedly annoyed because the contract was until 2024 – with a player’s option for an extra season.

Mbappé stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for the extra year and was left off a pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said they would rather sell him than let him leave for free in 2024 but he rejected a €300m move to the Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal. PSG left Mbappé out of the opening league game of that season but he soon returned to the team after talks.

Mbappé’s legal team said on Thursyesterday they would start an action against PSG for harassment because of the way he was treated. They will also start another legal procedure before an industrial tribunal, and Mbappé and his mother have filed lawsuits for abuse they received online.

PA Media

Robert Reid has resigned from his role as deputy president for sport at the FIA and accused the governing body of a “breakdown in governance standards”. Reid has had a number of disagreements with the FIA president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, in recent months and his resignation comes after the Motorsport UK chair, David Richards, accused the FIA of a “shift in moral compass”.

Ben Sulayem, who has been involved in a number of controversies since he took to the helm of the FIA, is expected to stand for re-election when his four-year term expires in December.

Reid said: “I took on this role to help deliver greater transparency, stronger governance and more collaborative leadership. Over time, those principles have been increasingly set aside and I can no longer, in good faith, remain part of a system that no longer reflects them.

“Stepping away was not easy, however staying would have meant compromising what I believe in. This is about principles, not politics. Motorsport deserves leadership rooted in integrity, accountability and respect for process. That’s the minimum standard we should all expect and demand.”

FIA statutes were changed at their last general assembly, with some suggesting the move amounted to a reduction in accountability.

Richards said last month he was barred from taking part in a meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council, which meets regularly to discuss the governance of all forms of motor sport, including Formula One, after electing against signing a non-disclosure agreement. The NDA would outlaw individuals from discussing matters relating to the FIA away from council meetings and Richards says he viewed its introduction as a gagging order.

An FIA spokesperson said: “The FIA is grateful for Robert Reid’s contribution to the FIA and to motor sport more widely. The FIA has exceptionally robust corporate governance policies which guide our operations and ensure our rules, practices and processes are adhered to.”